By Michael Phillips
In what has become a disturbingly familiar pattern, Medium has once again suspended my journalism account—without warning, without specifying what rule was violated, and without offering a clear path to resolution.
According to the vague boilerplate message sent by Medium’s Trust & Safety team:
“Site policies prohibit accounts and posts that identify specific individuals for the purpose of targeted harassment or shaming, especially where doing so is likely to incite or foster further harassment, threats, and violence.”
But here’s the problem: I’m an investigative journalist. I cover corruption, systemic abuse, and failures of public institutions—especially in the American family court system. My reporting involves public records, public figures, and public interest. Like any serious journalist, I name judges, lawyers, court-appointed officials, and agencies involved in alleged misconduct.
Medium’s policy is so broad and so vaguely enforced that it blurs the line between “harassment” and “accountability.” It weaponizes content moderation to chill dissent and suppress inconvenient truths—without any due process, discussion, or fair warning.
A Platform That Punishes the Truth
Medium did not tell me what article triggered the suspension. They did not cite a passage, a paragraph, or even a headline. Instead, I was told that if I wanted to appeal, I’d need to remove all personally identifying information—from every article. Think about that. Every single name, every public official, every quote, every cited person in every story.
That isn’t editing. That’s erasure. That’s censorship.
Worse, this policy is being enforced disproportionately against independent journalists like me, not corporate media outlets who regularly identify individuals. When mainstream reporters write exposés, it’s “investigative journalism.” When independents do the same, it’s suddenly “harassment.”
Medium can’t have it both ways.
Due Process Doesn’t Exist on Medium
Let’s be honest: this isn’t a safety issue—it’s a control issue. Medium has no meaningful review process, no transparency, and no accountability. You can be suspended without knowing what you did. You are told to fix something you cannot see, and only then might you be allowed back.
What kind of “review” process demands blind edits from journalists without citing the alleged violation? If Medium truly cared about protecting its users while honoring the principles of free speech and press, it would:
- Specify which articles violated policy
- Provide an opportunity to revise or respond
- Differentiate between public interest journalism and personal harassment
But instead, the platform behaves like a private tribunal—handing down suspensions in secret, offering no evidence, and threatening de-platforming unless you erase your reporting.
The Chilling Effect on Independent Journalism
This isn’t just about my account. It’s part of a broader crisis in digital publishing. As more platforms adopt sweeping, automated, or selectively enforced moderation policies, journalists who report on power—especially state power—are being silenced.
Social media sites, publishing platforms, and tech intermediaries are increasingly hostile to investigative work that challenges institutions. Whether it’s family court abuse, judicial misconduct, or government overreach, these stories are often flagged not because they are false—but because they are uncomfortable.
When platforms like Medium make it impossible to name officials or hold institutions accountable, they aren’t protecting users. They’re protecting power.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Medium has proven, repeatedly, that it is not a safe home for hard-hitting, investigative journalism. It punishes truth-tellers, erases survivors, and sides with silence over scrutiny.
If you’re a journalist, advocate, or citizen exposing wrongdoing, you deserve better than a platform that will cut you off without cause. It’s time we stopped relying on platforms that treat the truth like a liability.
I’ll continue publishing—on my own terms, on platforms that value free speech, due process, and accountability. But the message is clear:
Medium is not a home for real journalism anymore.
And that should concern all of us.
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